The Resident's Erinn Westbrook is joining Riverdale as a series regular for its forthcoming season 5.`The actress will play Tabitha Tate in the CW drama series. Featuring an ensemble cast based on characters from Archie Comics, with KJ Apa as Archie Andrews, Lili Reinhart as Betty Cooper, Camila Mendes as Veronica Lodge, and Cole Sprouse as Jughead Jones, Riverdale explores the dark reality of an eponymous, seemingly perfect town. The show premiered on CW in January 2017, and due to its wild popularity, it was renewed through season 5. Riverdale will return for its fifth season in January 2021, and it will be accompanied by a time jump spanning seven years.
On Tuesday, Deadline confirmed that Riverdale's cast Glee star Erinn Westbrook as a series regular for its upcoming season 5. Westbrook has been tipped to play Tabitha Tate, the business-minded, enterprising grandaughter of Pop Tate (Alvin Sanders). Westbrook's Tabitha will arrive in Riverdale with the motive of franchising her grandfather's revered diner, Pop’s Chock’ lit Shoppe. Tabitha will pursue her entrepreneurial ambitions despite being aware of the town's chaotic state.
Following Vanessa Morgan and Bernadette Beck's accusations against the show's mishandling of black characters, Creator Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa promised he would treat minority characters better in the upcoming iterations of the series. Westbrook's casting in an important role in Riverdale, thus, indicates that Aguirre-Sacasa is living up to his promise. Westbrook is a talented performer with decent experience in TV and films, and she will undoubtedly raise the series' drama quotient once it returns.
Source: Deadline